Southern Medical and Surgical Journal - Georgia Regents University

30 Composition of Human Milk, $c. [January,On the Composition of Human Milk in Health and DiBy MM. Veknois and A. Becquerel.[The results of these investigations are important in the inquiryas to how far the milk in different conditions may affectthe chemical structure of the teeth of children and thus modifytheir susceptibility to disease. It will be seen that they invalidatesome of the inferences built upon former analyses, butalthough affording more correct data, they at the same timesuggest the uncertainty of chemical analyses in the pnstate of the art, as bases for positive conclusi"Looking at the contradictory reports of various analysesof milk. MM. Vernois and A. Becqucrel have entered into anelaborate investigation of the entire subject. They have icially chosen 89 uniform and complete analyses to deducecertain deductions from. The following is their account of thecomposition of this fluid :In Health. In Acute Disease. In Cliru:Water, 889,08 . . 884,91 .. . 885,50Solid parts, .... 110,92 . . 115,09 . . . 114,50Sugar, 43,64 . . 33,10 ... 1.Butter, .uraf and extractive .. 50,40 . . . 31. 29,86 . . . 32,57Salts (by incineration) 1,38 . . 1,73 . . . 1,50Density 103v>.(>7 . . 1031,20 . . .1031.17There are more solid parts in the milk of nurses aged from'*15 to 20, than in those from 35 to 40. The quantity of butteris notably increased during the colostral period. Gestationdoes not produce alteration in the composition of the milk atfirst, but at a later period it increases the proportion of theparts. Menstruation diminishes the density, the weight of thewater and of the sugar. It increases the weight of the solidportions, especially the caseum. Insufficient aliment rendersthe milk too watery, the effect falling especially on the butterand caseum. An excess of butter and caseum always accompaniesan ill state of health of the nursling. There are certainwomen wThose milk, independently of any special cause, alwayscontains an excess of butter or caseum." In both acute and chronic disease, the water diminishesand the solid parts increase; but there the analogy betweenthese two classes ceases. In acute disease, the sugar considerablydiminishes while the three other elements are increased,the caseum alone nearly repairing what is lost by the sugar.In chronic disease, the butter and salts are increased, the sugarremains stationary, and the caseum diminishes. Thus in acutediseases, we have loss on a respiratory element, and excess in